Hat-display rack.



A. E. BEZOIER.

HAT DISPLAY RACK.

APPLIGATION FILED PBB.19,1909.

943,805. Patented Beam, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

HAT DISPLAY RACK.

APPLIUATION FILED FBB.19.1909. Y

943,865. Patented Dec.21. 1909 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. E. BBZOIER. HAT DISPLAY RACK. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19,1909.943,805. Patented Dec. 21, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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ALEXIS E. BEZOIER, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

HAT-DISPLAY RACK.

Speecaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 21, 1909.

Application filed February 19, 1909. Serial No. 478,819.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXIS E. Bnzoinn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHat-Display Racks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable otherskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved cabinet withmovable racks especially adapted for use in displaying hats, but adaptedalso for use in displaying varions other articles of merchandise.

To the above ends, the invention consists of the novel devices andcombinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention, likecharacters indicate. like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings: Figui'e 1 is a perspective view, showing aduplex or double cabinet designed in accordance with my invention; Fig.2 is a view in vertical section taken from front to rear through one ofthe sections or compartments of the cabinet `shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 isa horizontal section taken on the line m3 ai of Fig. Q, some parts beingbroken away, and certain of the parts being separated or drawn apart;Fig. Ll is a fragmentary view in front elevation, with some partssectioned, and some parts broken away, showing the left hand sideportion of the improved device; Fig. 5 is a detail view in verticalsection, taken approximately on the line x5 of Fig. 2; Fig. G is a planview of the parts shown in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is an enlarged verticalsection taken approximately on the line fol a of Fig. 4:; and Fig. 8 isa detail view in front elevation, showing on an enlarged scale, one ofthe several supporting bars applied on the display racks.

The numeral l indicates a rectangular cab-v inet, shown as formed doubleor with two compartments, and provided in front of its compartment withfolding hinged doors 2 provided with mirrors 2a, which latter, aredesirable, so that a prospective purchaser may observe the appearance ofhats while standing in front of the cabinet.

So far as my invention is concerned, the cabinet may be provided withany desired number of compartments or sections, and hence the same willbe described as if there was but one compartment section.

On the inner surface of the opposite sides of the cabinet compartment,is provided vertical front and rear runways 3, formed between guiderails l and 5. The outer guide rails 11, at their lower ends, connect toforwardly inclined bottom rails 6, and the inner rails 5, at their upperends, are connected to rearwardly inclined top rails 7. rfhe outer railsl extend to points considerably above the top rails 7, and the innerrails 5 terminate at points considerably above the lower rails G.

lVithin the cabinet compartment, is a multiplicity of box-like hat racks8, there being as shown, three thereof. The racks S are open at theirfront sides, and as shown, they are also opened at their bottoms. Eachrack S, at each side, is provided with a pair of upper supportingrollers S)-10, and at their lower portions are provided with pairs ofsupporting rollers 11-12. The top plates of the racks S are rearwardlyinclined for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

W'hen one rack is in its forward position, its rollers 9 and 11 will bein the front channels or runways 3; and when the said racks arel intheir rearmost positions, their rollers l() and l2 will be in or alinedwith the rearniost channels or runways 1Vhen a box is supported byengagement of its rollers 11 and 12 with the inclined lower rails G, thesaid rack will tend to run forward under the action of gravity, and thisforwardly moving tendency, will be increased by the engagement of therollers` 1l. of the overlying rack with the inclined top thereof.

By reference to Fig. 3, it will be noted that the upper rollers l0 arelonger or wider than the upper rollers S). The said rollers 9 and 10, asthey pass up Yard from the front runways 2l onto the upper supportingrails 7, press backward spring latches 13 and 14, and the rollers Il()pass through notches 7il in the said rails 7. YWhen the rack is loweredat the rear of the cabinet, the rollers 10 pass downward into the rearrunways 3, and the narrow rollers 9 pass downward through narrow notches7h formed in the said rails 7. It is here important to note, that therollers l0 are so .wide that they will pass on to the rails 7 over thenarrow notches 7 b when traveling rearward.

Attention is called to the fact, that in Fig. 3, the rack 8 is drawnendwise away from the rail 7, so that its rollers 9 and 10 are removedfrom the said rail, this being done to more clearly show construction insaid rail and of the spring latches and other parts that cooperatetherewith. The rails 5 are provided with notches frL that-clear therollers 9 and 10, and permit forward movements of the racks 8 and therails 5 are further provided with notches 5" that clear the rollers 9and 10 and permit rearward movement of the racks 8.

The several racks 8 are supported in part or are partly counterpoised bysuitable devices which make the lifting of the racks an easy matter.r1`hese devices are preferably in the form of long coiled springs 15,attached at their lower ends to the lower side portions of the racks S.At their upper ends, the three springs 15, are attached at equidistantpoints by means of swivel heads 16 to a rotary head 17, shown as mountedon the headed end of a stud 1S secured to the overlying upper rail 7, asbest shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. In practice, it may be found desirableto employ a ball bearing connection between the rotary spring anchoringplate or head 17 and the stud or other part to which it is rotativelymounted.

1n practice, the spring devices above described, would be applied atboth ends or sides of the movable racks S. The hats indicated by thecharacter Z may be supported within or upon the racks S by any suitablemeans, but preferably they are supported by parallel rods 19, which inturn, rest upon brackets 20. These brackets 20, at their inner ends,have grooved heads 21 that are adapted for inter-locking engagement inthe matter of bayonet joint, with slots formed in vertical metal stripsor bars 2B suitably secured to the backs of the respective racks S. Theslots 22 are enlarged at their upper extremities so as to permit theheads 21 to be passed endwise therethrough, and the lower portionsthereof are contracted for engagement with the necks or reduced portionsof the said heads. Furthermore, the said slots 22 are closely positionedin said bars 23 so that the brackets 20 may be secured in differentvertical adjustments thereon, and thereby adapt the shelves or hatholding devices for adjustments to dilferent kinds of hats.

As already stated, the iacks S are partially supported by the springs15. It is therefore an easy matter to raise the forward rack into aposition in which its rollers 9 and 10 wll pass above the. springlatches 13 and 14, and onto the upper rails 7.

In Fig. 2, the forward rack S is shown in an intermediate position andat a proper height to bring the hats contained therein, within an easyreach of the salesman and purchaser. To support the same in thispartially raised position, a spring latch 13L corresponding inconstruction to the spring latch 13, is applied in the side of thecabinet or case 1, in position to form a rest for the engaged roller 11as shown in Fig. 2.

-lVhen the forward rack S is raised .with its rollers 9 and 10 above theupper rails 7, the lowermost rear rack S, will, under the action ofgravity, run forward on the inclined lower rails 6 and the pressure ofthe upper rear rack S, acting on the inclined top thereof, through therollers 11, will assist in producing this forward movement. The upperportions of the latches 13 are either made horizontal, or are setslightly7 below vthe upper surfaces of the upper rails 7, so

that when av rack 8 is moved upward unt-il its rollers 9 rest on thesaid latches, the rearward movement of the said rack will not takeplace. When the said rack is thus raised however, the lower rack, at therear, will move forward under the saine, so that the hats contained inthe two forwardly moved racks, will be displayed at the front of thecabinet. vWhen however, the lower rack at the front is then slightlyy'aised, its inclined side flanges 8a, will engage the rollers 11 of theoverlying rack, and by a cannning action, will impart the initialrearward movement to the said overlying rack.

lhen the several racks are moved one after the other, as abovedescribed, the rotary spring actuating head 17, will be rotated so thatthe several springs 15 will be caused to clear each other.

By reference to Fig. 2, it will be seen, that the springs of the racksthat are at the rear, pull rearward en one side of the rotary head 17,and that the spring` of the rack which is in front pulls forwarfjl onthe other side of the said rotary head. This, as is evident, will causethe said rotary head to rotate under the above described movement of theracks. If desired in practice, the lower ends of the springs 15 may beconnected to the racks 8 by swivel joints. Swivel joints at some pointor points in the spring connections, is required to prevent twisting ofthe springs under rotation of the spring anchoring heads 17.

This so-called display cabinet is, as is evident, adapted to contain alarge number of hats or other articles placed therein. lhile especiallyadapted for use to contain and display hats, it is not, of course,limited to that use.

That I claim is:

1. The combination with a suitable cabinet, having front and rearrunways and upper and lower supporting rails, of a multiplicity ofdisplay racks having upper and lower front rollers and upper and lower.

rear rollers, said front rollers being arranged to work in said frontrunways, said rear rollers being arranged to work in said rear runways,said upper rollers being arranged to run on said upper rails, and thesaid lower rollers being arranged to run on said lower rails, and thesaid vertical runways and upper rails having suitable roller clearingpassages whereby the said racks may be moved one after the other onendless paths.

2. The combination with a suitable cabinet, having endless approximatelyrectangular runways, of a multiplicity otl display racks having rollersfor cooperation with said runways, the upper portions of said runwaysbeing rearwardly inclined, and the lower portions of said runways beingforwardly inclined to cause said display racks when raised, to travelbackward and when lowered, to travel forward under the action ofgravity, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a suitable cabinet, having approximatelyrectangular runways, the upper portions of which are rearwardly inclinedand the lower portions ot' which are forwardly inclined, of amultiplicity of display racks having rollers coperating with saidrunways, and having inclined upper portions adapted to be engaged byrollers ot' an overlying rack, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a suitable cabinet, having endless runways, of amultiplicity of display racks having rollers coperating with saidrunways, and counter balancing devices supporting said racks, at leastin part, and arranged to clear each other under movements of said rack.

5. The combination with a suitable cabinet, having approximatelyrectangular runways, the upper portions otl which are provided withroller clearing passages and spring latches therein, of a multiplicityot' display racks having rollers coperating with said runways andspringlatches, the

latter serving to hold the racks in upliftcd positions, substantially asdescribed.

6. The combination with a suitable cabinet, havingendless runways, of amultiplicity of display racks having rollers coperating with saidrunways, a rotary spring anchoring device at the upper portion of saidrunways, and coiled springs eccentrically connected to said rotaryanchoring device at their upper ends, and connected to said displayracks at their lower ends, substantially as described.

7. The combination with a suitable cabinet, having approximatelyrectangular runways and a spring latch located at the intermediate'forward portion of one oit said runways, of a multiplicity of displayracks having rollers cooperating with said runways, said spring latchbeing operative on one of said rollers to hold a forwardly positionedrack partly raised, substantially as described.

S. The combination with a suitable cabinet, having endless approximatelyrectangular runways, provided in their upper portions with notches Tband with spring latches 13 and 14, of a multiplicity of racks providedwith rollers 9, 10, 11 and 12 for cooperation with said runways, thesaid rollers 10 being wider than the said rollers 9, and cooperatingrespectively with the latches 14 and 13, and which rollers 9 are adaptedto pass downward through said notches 7b while the said rollers 10 areadapted to pass over the said notches, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I a'tiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALEXIS lil. BlZOllll.

lfVitnesses:

ALICE V. SwANsoN, HARRY D. KILGoRn.

